Curious and Creative

Tag: personal-growth

  • Whether we like it or not, we have unconscious biases

    March 21, 2025

    human head with open door dark background for mental health vector

    What are unconscious biases? An unconscious bias refers to the ingrained assumptions, beliefs, and associations we hold outside of our conscious awareness. Sometimes also called implicit biases, these mental short codes inform our decision-making and interactions with those around us — without our knowledge.

    Charles Ruhl noted he term implicit bias was first coined in 1995 by psychologists Mahzarin Banaji and Anthony Greenwald, who argued that social behavior is largely influenced by unconscious associations and judgments.

     A growing body of psychology research points to an uncomfortable truth about decision making.  Unconscious bias influences all of us, and even the simplest decisions we make, as noted on the Six Seconds Emotional Intelligence Network website.

    Our unconscious biases are not just shaped by our personal history, but also by opinions of people we trust, plus cultural norms, wrote Jory McKay. There are various internal and external factors that creep into our decision-making equation, without our permission or awareness.

    Gender, beauty, conformity, affinity, and confirmation are some types of unconscious biases. These biases often arise from trying to find patterns and navigate the overwhelming stimuli in this complicated world. Culture, media, and upbringing can also contribute to the development of such biases.

     What is dangerous about implicit bias is that it automatically seeps into a person’s affect or behavior and is outside of the full awareness of that person. These biases are shaped by our cultural environment, upbringing, and firsthand experiences, leading us to make decisions or judgments based on assumptions without being aware of them, reported by MacKay.

    We must be concerned, cautioned MacKay, that our unconscious biases are natural.  They aren’t necessarily right or fair.

    To talk about bias, people often get uncomfortable. The most difficult people to learn about  fairness are people who value fairness the most. People who really care about being fair often can push away the idea that there is unconscious bias, commented Kimberly Papillon, Esq. Judicial Lecturer, Neuroscience and Law at Georgetown University.

    Papillon stated in a video online that what’s interesting about unconscious bias is that it doesn’t automatically make us bad people. What it does sometimes is make us do things that don’t align with our value system.

    The unconscious brain, however, is filled with information that you have stored away over your lifetime, forming unconscious biases. You can change your unconscious biases if you want to, but it will take effort, wrote Rebekah Kuschmider.

    Our implicit biases are malleable, which means you can change them, wrote Kuschmider. Since our implicit biases are created from our life experiences, but they can change as we add new and different life experiences.

    Our implicit or unconscious biases are different than our conscious thoughts, words, and actions. Our biases are inherently human according to Papillon. We react to what is unfamiliar or threatening to us.

    We can learn about ourselves once we learn about our implicit biases with help of others, we challenge ourselves to influence and change our unconsciousness. There are a few ways that I have learned about:

    • Challenge yourself to meet new people.
    • Connect with people who defy stereotypes,
    • Cultivate conscious empathy, and
    • Participate in bias training.
    • Participate in mindfulness training.

    “It is useless to attempt to reason a man out of a thing he was never reasoned into.”

    – Jonathan Swift

    Resources:

    Image by starline on Freepik. Retrieved 3/22/2025

    CLRN Team. “What is a blind spot in Psychology?”  11/18/2024. Retrieved on 3/12/2025 from https://www.clrn.org/what-is-a-blind-spot-in-psychology.

    Georgetown University’s National Center for Cultural Competence. “Two Types of Bias”:  Retrieved on 3/14/2025 from https://nccc.georgetown.edu/bias/module3/1.php#:~:text=Implicit%20or%20unconscious%20bias%20operates,full%20awareness%20of%20that%20person

    Georgetown University’s National Center for Cultural Competence. “How It Is Possible” How Well-Meaning People Act in Ways that Contradict their Values and Belief Systems.”  Retrieved on 3/14/2025 from https://nccc.georgetown.edu/bias/module-3/2.php

    “How It Is Possible” How Well-Meaning People Act in Ways that Contradict their Values and Belief Systems”. Retrieved on 3/14/2025 from https://nccc.georgetown.edu/bias/module-3/2.php.

    Kuschmider, Rebekah. “How to Unlearn Unconscious Bias.” 821/2021. Retrieved on 3/14/2025 from https://www.webmd.com/balance/features/how-to-unlearn-unconscious-bias.

    MacKay, Jory. “How to Overcome Your Unconscious”. October 2024. Retrieved on 3/14/2025 from https://plan.io/blog/unconscious-bias-examples/.

    Six Seconds (Emotional Intelligence Network). Retrieved on 3/20/2025 from https://www.6seconds.org/2018/09/04/the-science-of-unconscious-bias-what-colors-our-lenses-why-it-changes-our-decisions-and-how-to-keep-clear/

    human head with open door dark background for mental health vector

    Ruhl, Charles. “Implicit Bias (Unconscious Bias): Definition & Examples.” 8/2/2023. Retrieved on 3/20/2025 fromhttps://www.simplypsychology.org/implicit-bias.html

  • Curiosity Enhances the Meaning of Life

    February 27, 2025

    Many people have pondered the meaning of life. You may have yourself.

    I am not sure if I have asked what the meaning of life is. Rather, I have questioned the meaning of certain things that I have done in my life. If I have been in a negative frame of mind, I have often asked myself, why did I waste my time doing that? What did I get out of that experience? I will tell you from experience, my reply was often not very helpful. I would end spiraling into rumination. Let me share from experience, rumination is not helpful at all.

    Psychologist Julian Frazier wrote recently in a blog that many may ask what is the meaning of life, but they often fail to answer what is the meaning of life because they do not understand “meaning.”

    Meaning is something you feel, not that you use logic, rationality, or reason to deduce, wrote Frazier. Added, those who earnestly ask, “what is the meaning of life?” have expressed that they feel that their life is not.

    How does curiosity play a role in the meaning of life?  Psychologists view curiosity as a life force, vital to happiness, intellectual growth, and well-being wrote Marilyn Price-Mitchell, Ph.D. a developmental psychologist.

    Research has linked curiosity to a wide range of important adaptive behaviors, including tolerance of anxiety and uncertainty, positive emotions, humor, playfulness, out-of-box thinking, and a noncritical attitude—all attributes associated with healthy social outcomes.

    Frazier commented that our brains really like it when things make sense. The feeling of things making sense can vary from relief, security, and satiety to awe or elation. However, if we are pondering questions like what the meaning of life. our brains notice when things do not line up or do not make sense. If we are struggling to make sense of things, this stresses our brains out.

    It is up to us, wrote Frazier, to produce a solution that makes sense to our brains. It is important to become the author of your story. Find your voice, and tell your story. It does not matter what story we tell our brains, even if it is fictional, as long as it helps us our brains make sense.

    Through the many articles that I have read and videos that I have watched, I have concluded that using our curiosity is important element. We can use our curiosity  to create our own story can help us find meaning as Frazier suggested.

    Meaning is only ever found and embodied in the present, wrote Frazier.

    I may not fully agree that meaning can only be found in the present, as I have many wonderful memories and experiences that are meaningful. Perhaps, it is in the present that we attach meaning, so therefore we are able to recall them better.

    I have noticed that as humans, we can often skim across the surface of the present, seeking out meaning and happiness beyond today. We mistakenly rush through our days to find answers that may be right in front of us. I know that I can get hung up on the “not yet” or I will be happy when… or I can start when…, etc. Perhaps that is what we are missing out on. I have learned recently that if I am curious about something, I am more focused in the now, the present. I am not anxious, not worried about the future.

    Psychologist Todd Kashdan noted, if we are going to find a meaningful purpose or calling in life, chances are good we will find it in something that unleashes our curiosity. Our curiosity could lead us to meaningful interests, hobbies, and passions.

    “The greater the range and depth of our curiosity, the more opportunities we must experience things that inspire and excite us, from minute details to momentous occasions,” wrote Kashdan.

    Emily Campbell highlighted six ways that curiosity has been linked with psychological, emotional, social, and even health benefits. The second benefit is curious people are happier. Campbell noted research has shown that curiosity is associated with higher levels of positive emotions, lower levels of anxiety, more satisfaction with life, and greater psychological well being.

    Kashdan said curiosity is the entry point to many of life’s greatest sources of meaning and satisfaction.

    Below are ideas that can help you become more curious:

    • Reignite the love for play. The nature of play can build interest and curiosity in what we are doing in the present. Seek out your inner child’s wonder.
    • Search for the novel in your day. Pay attention to the minute details, such as ripples in a puddle, snowflakes on the window. Take the time to look with fresh eyes.
    • Stay in the present moment when talking with others. Ask questions and listen with care. Be interested in the other person.
    • Seek to make new friends. Meeting new people can help us discover unrecognized aspects of ourselves.
    • Try something again that you have not tried since you were a kid. Wipe your mind off expectations.

    Curiosity can enhance your life. Open up your mind, ignite your curiosity.

    Resources:

    Image retrieved on 2/21/2025 <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/mental-health-concept-illustration_382536411.htm”>Image by storyset on Freepik</a>

    Campbell, Emily. “Six Surprising Benefits of Curiosity.” 9/24/2015. Greater Good magazine. Retrieved on 2/21/2025 from https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/six_surprising_benefits_of_curiosity

    Frazier, Ph.D., Julian. “A Psychologist’s Unpopular Opinion about the ‘Meaning-of-life.’ Medium.com posted on 1/26/2025. Retrieved on 2/21/2025 from https://medium.com/@julian.frazier.phd/a-psychologists-unpopular-opinion-about-the-meaning-of-life-82480297ca22

    Kashdan, Todd/ Experience Life. “5 Benefits of Curiosity. Discover how cultivating an inquiring mind can help you lead a happier, healthier life.” 12/1/2019. Retrieved on 2/21/2025 from https://experiencelife.lifetime.life/article/the-power-of-curiosity/

    Price-Mitchelle, Ph.D. Marily. “Curiosity: The Heart of Lifelong Learning. How to Nurture a child’s hungry mind.” April 13, 2015. Psychology Today. Retrieved on 2/21/2025 from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-moment-of-youth/201504/curiosity-the-heart-of-lifelong-learning

  • Curiosity Enhances Our Connections with Others

    2/21/2025

    Curiosity acts as a powerful catalyst. Curiosity, like other skills that power our emotional intelligence, is a practice wrote Erin Walsh. This is the kind of curiosity that connects us.

    Curiosity and wonder can also foster creativity, improve well-being, and deepen interpersonal relationships, wrote Nicole Whiting, MA. Curiosity and wonder are intertwined psychological states that enrich our mental and emotional lives and enhance engagement with the world.

    However, recent studies have shown that, as humans, we are experiencing loneliness at a higher rate. Harvard has conducted the longest in-depth study of Adult Development. It has studied adult physical and mental well-being. Harvard’s findings have shown that relationships not only make us happier, but keep us healthier too.

    In a world that is more divisive, with demands of remote work and working longer hours, people have struggled to foster feelings of belonging. Feeling of loneliness is taking a big toll on our well-being, noted Davis.

    According to Whiting, curiosity and wonder make our social interactions richer by helping us form deeper bonds. People who are curious tend to engage more meaningfully, while trying to understand others’ views.

    Davis wrote that we could decrease our loneliness and fulfill our need to belong by enhancing and increasing our curiosity.

    “When you show curiosity and you ask questions, and find out something interesting about another person, people disclose more, share more, and they return the favor, asking questions of you,” said Todd Kashdan, Ph.D., director of George Mason University’s Well-Being Lab.

    According to Kashdan, it is better to be interested in others than interesting.

    Curiosity can connect us with others noted Walsh and Kashdan. Curiosity has been found to expand our empathy, strengthen relationships, increase collaboration, and improve wellbeing.

    Davis said curiosity leads to opportunities to connect with others and find a sense of belonging. At the conclusion of a three-week course, Davis concluded that students enjoyed the training, they most look forward to connecting with each other even more during the live weekly calls. They yearned for more time to connect with one another.

    Curiosity is an initiative-taking facet of wonder according to Davis. It can spur us to learn more, propel us to become more engaged in new experiences and seek novel perspectives. Through these new experiences, we can connect with others in enriching and meaningful ways.

    It is important to encourage this kind of curiosity. However, we need to be aware of and acknowledge any personal biases and assumptions that we have could shut down our curiosity Walsh. It is also important to move towards and embrace our feelings and emotions, even painful ones. If you can feel your own sadness or grief, you may be more open to and curious about the grief of others.

    Here are a few ways to use curiosity to enhance our connections:

    • Show that you care by showing a genuine interest in others; this can help ease jitters of others.
    • Ask open-ended questions that elicit detailed responses and encourage a deeper level of conversation. This can encourage others to open. If you are not used to doing this, it will take practice. Be patient.
    • Practice active listening. Pause. Take a moment to take in their reply. Perhaps ask a follow-up question. Be genuinely interested.
    • Be willing to be vulnerable. People will respond to this and may reply by sharing their own vulnerabilities.
    • Invite people to share their personal stories. Seek out people who have different experiences than your own. Let your curiosity take the wheel.

    Showing a person that you care about is crucial to gaining their trust and interest advised Notas.

    Resources:

    Image by freepik

    Davis, Jeffrey, M.A. “Curiosity: A Surprising Key to Belonging. How Wonder can lead you toward more authentic connections.” March 20,2023. Retrieved on 2/16/2025 from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/tracking-wonder/202303/curiosity-a-surprising-key-to-belonging

    Kashdan, Todd.

    Notas, Nick. “Embrace Curiosity and Connect with More People.” Retrieved on 2/16/2025 from https://www.nicknotas.com/blog/embrace-curiosity-and-connect-with-more-people/

    Walsh, Erin. “The Connective Power of Curiosity: Why Getting Curious is Key to Our Person and Collective Wellbeing.” Spark & Stitch Institute. Posted 12/5/2023. Retrieved on 2/16/2025 from https://sparkandstitchinstitute.com/the-connective-power-of-curiosity/#:~:text=One%20study%20demonstrated%20that%20curious,emotional%20intelligence%2C%20is%20a%20practice.

    Whiting, Nicole, MA. “The Case for Curiosity: How a wonder-driven life enhances well-being.” May 16, 2024. Retrieved on 2/16/2025 from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/beyond-limits/202404/the-case-for-curiosity#:~:text=Deepening%20Interpersonal%20Connections%2C%20Enhancing%20Well-Being%2C

  • Curiosity Can Deepen Our Understanding of Ourselves

    February 13, 2025

    Did you know that curiosity helps us develop mind management skills that can lead to personal autonomy? The idea of becoming more autonomous is intriguing.

    Mind management skills include critical thinking, a questioning attitude, and ability to explore different perspectives. These skills will ultimately lead to better self-awareness.

    Blogger and Podcaster Avik Chakraborty shared that curiosity and non-judgment are essential elements of awareness. Curiosity is what drives you to learn and explore new things. Non-judgment is what allows you to accept yourself and others without criticism.

    How important is self-awareness? Writer Jonathan Park pointed out that “Without the self-awareness to accurately judge our knowledge and capabilities, we can overestimate our abilities, oversimplify the world we live in, and overlook the skills of others.”

    Park wrote that a lack of self-awareness can lead to overconfidence. When we are overconfident with our skills and fail to adopt curiosity and self-awareness with our learning, we only evaluate ourselves from our limited and highly subjective perspective.

    My research has revealed that curiosity is key in stimulating our learning. This includes learning about us. Curiosity also improves our self-awareness. Curiosity enhances critical thinking because it encourages us to question the status quo. It opens our minds so we can look at a situation from several angles. Curiosity promotes adaptability and flexibility.

    Neuroscientist Dr. Caroline Leaf stated that through asking yourself questions, you can gain a sense of your own abilities and learn how you can adapt and change to improve your life. She also noted that when we become more mindful of our own thoughts and emotions, we can become better at understanding our internal processes.

    Curiosity creates an energy and neurochemical flow through the brain that results in an increasingly malleable state in the relevant brain networks wrote Leaf. When in this malleable state, our brain allows you to reorganize, change and expand the memories housed within a thought structure.

    Chakraborty wrote that there are several ways that we increase our awareness: pay attention to our thoughts and feelings throughout our day, and journal about our experiences, thoughts and feelings. Meditate or practice mindfulness. Perhaps talk with a friend or therapist about your experiences.

    Resilience Coach Russell Harvey suggested- that curiosity increases positivity. Being more curious is intricately linked with greater life satisfaction and stronger overall mental wellbeing. Like Dr. Leaf, Harvey said that being curious about us is an effective way to increase our awareness because it encourages us to ask questions and reflect.

    Learn with curiosity, not our egos. If we learn something to become an expert, we can make false assumptions, and could make brash generalizations and misconceptions, wrote Park.

    Leaf wrote that using this method of asking ourselves questions is more effective in reconceptualizing our minds. Through this process, we can distance ourselves from what we are thinking about.

    I invite you to move to a quiet area and take a few moments to ask yourself the following: What thoughts weigh you down? What are your thoughts trying to tell you? Articulate what your thoughts are now. You can write down your answers in a journal or notebook. Become curious about the answers that you give. Reflect on how you answer the questions. Learn a little more about yourself.

    Park also suggested checking your assumptions. Assumptions may be misleading, incomplete or inaccurate.

    I think this is good advice. You may even have assumptions about yourself. I know I have had made assumptions about myself. These were less than helpful. This where asking self-reflective questions can be key.

    Challenge your beliefs and expectations to minimize making assumptions. Take the time to validate your resources. This is where curiosity comes in handy. It helps you find credible and diverse sources of information when learning about a new subject.

    Curiosity can give us a deeper and richer life as we begin to have a better understanding of who we are, our thoughts, and our mental and emotional well-being stated Leaf.

    Lead with curiosity.

    Resources:

    image found on Freepik.com

  • Embrace Uncertainty

    January 31, 2025

    (image from Freepik)

    At the end of 2024, I signed up for a craft fair to display my artwork and gain exposure as an artist. I felt anxious as the date of the event approached. I feared I would sit at my table and not sell anything. I knew these fears of mine drove my ego. The night before the event, I decided that any sales would be donated to my favorite charity in hopes that I would sell more. I sold a few things thanks to a good friend of mine who stopped by to support me.

    Yet, the results of the craft event did not meet my expectations. I have asked myself many times over if my expectations were realistic. Was the event and location not the right fit for my type of art? Since that day of the craft fair, I have been discouraged that I have not picked up a paint brush to paint since December. When I met with my counselor earlier this month, she pointed out to me that donating the sales may have undermined my intent in the eyes of the buyer because it was a perception of product quality or worth. I admit I was stunned by that statement. I am still pondering that comment. I am still uncertain about my art. I have put that pursuit on the back burner. Making it less of a priority of mine.

    I have switched gears. Earlier this month, I began writing this current blog, Curious and Creative. Most of my time and my mind has been focused on being curious. I noticed that I am less anxious. As I noted in my last blog, fear and curiosity do not often co-exist at the same time as our brains. Anxiety is closely related to fear. I have read that curiosity is also an antidote for anxiety. Although I have not done formal study, my personal experience is lining up that being curious has impacted my mind and it has been less anxious as of late.

    What does this have to do with embracing uncertainty? Curiosity is linked to the unknown and uncertainty. Neuroscientific studies have concluded that curiosity, fear, and anxiety cannot exist in the brain at the same time as they affect different regions of the brain. Fear and anxiety light up the amygdala, which is the hard-wired warning system in our brain, whereas curiosity impacts the pre-frontal cortex, releasing the reward chemical dopamine that floods our body, making us feel good and happy.

    “Life is uncertain. We never know what will happen, and many things are unknowable. This can make us feel stressed or worried, since the unknown is associated with danger,” wrote Jill Suttie.

    I was surprised when I read that there are benefits of being unsure. Up to this point, I never considered uncertainty as a positive thing. I just began listening to Maggie Jackson’s book, Uncertain: The Wisdom and Wonder of Being Unsure through Audible. It was published in November 2023.

    Jackson writes that allowing us to be unsure is tied to embracing easier learning, better decision making, responding well in a crisis, improved mental health and warmer social relationships. Who knows that there are so many benefits to embracing uncertainty. I did not.

    In interview with Jill Suttie, Maggie Jackson stated that we have a very negative view of uncertainty. We largely see it as paralyzing. Yet, studies find that uncertainty is really important or helpful to us, as it is an opportunity to investigate, to open up space between question and answer.

    Business and Leadership coach Shruti Mouli wrote that most of us go through life in a very predictable fashion. We crave certainty and do whatever it takes to maintain that. However, Mouli added, do not expect greatness if we cling to certainty, expect mediocrity instead.

    Mouli suggested that we ask ourselves what would happen if you let go of the need for certainty?

    Uncertainty is a spur to better thinking, noted Jackson, adding that being unsure can be related to deeper deliberation. Uncertainty is a strength not a paralyzer.

    Harvard Business Review writer Edith Onderick-Harvey points out in her article “5 Behaviors of Leaders Who Embrace Change,” that leaders who are “change-agile” look at changes in their environments as opportunities. The “change-agile” leaders try to make change thinking contagious.

    Change can be scary as it can often mean uncertainty. I realize I need to learn to be open to uncertainty, although my anxiety could fight me on this.

    Writer Meg-John Barker stated embracing uncertainty is that it takes time. When faced with uncertainty in life we often find it incredibly painful and rush to resolve it as quickly as possible. 

    While curiosity can lead to growth, the absence of curiosity can lead to stagnation as stated by the Resilience Institute. As individuals, we can avoid the pitfalls of stagnation and keep curiosity alive. It suggests that you avoid the routine ruts, stay connected with curious people, and embrace uncertainty. Lean into the unknown.

    The unknown and the uncertainty can get messy. It can mean pain.

    Meg-John Barker, which suggests leaning into pain. This means that you must take a good hard look at the situation that you are in, if needed take a break to regain your strength.

    What I have learned from my research is that I need to embrace uncertainty, be open minded, agile, and change positive. This can lead to growth, opportunity and potential.

    For now, I will leave you with this quote.

    “Followers need to see it to believe it. Leaders believe so they create it,” Sharon Pearson, author of Disruptive Leadership.

    Resources:

    Barker, Meg-John. “Embracing uncertainty: What does it really mean?” Retrieved on 1/31/2025 from https://www.rewriting-the-rules.com/conflict-break-up/embracing-uncertainty-what-does-it-really-mean/#:~:text=Embracing%20uncertainty%20involves%20being%20prepared,look%20closely%20at%20the%20situation.

    Jackson, Maggie. Uncertain: The Wisdom and Wonder of Being Unsure

    Mouli, Shruti. “Embracing Certainty.” April 21, 2021, posted on Linked-In. Retrieved on 1/31/2025 from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/embracing-uncertainty-shruti-mouli-1c/

    Onderick-Harvey, Edith. “5 Behaviors of Leaders Who Embrace Change.” May 18, 2018. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved on 1/31/2025 from https://hbr.org/2018/05/5-behaviors-of-leaders-who-embrace-change

    The Resilience Institute, Editorial Team. “Curiosity: The Catalyst for Growth and Resilience.” August 27, 2024. The Resilience Institute website. Retrieved on 1/31/2025 from https://resiliencei.com/blog/curiosity-the-catalyst-for-growth-andresilience#:~:text=What%20is%20Curiosity?,that%20drives%20learning%20and%20innovation.

    Suttie, Jill. “How Embracing Uncertainty Can Improve Your Life.” March 11, 2024. Greater Good Magazine. Retrieved on 1/31/2025 from https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_embracing_uncertainty_can_improve_your_life#:~:text=It’s%20a%20kind%20of%20wakefulness,space%20between%20question%20and%20answer.

  • Curiosity is an Antidote to Fear

    January 30, 2025

    Curiosity and fear are two different states in our minds, and they impact different parts of our brains.

    As we have evolved as humans, fear has become the internal warning system that is hard-wired to protect ourselves. Fear can trigger the fight or flight response when our brain senses a threat. The amygdala  region of the brain moves into the driver’s seat when a threat is detected. Contrarily, curiosity is driven by our desire to learn, explore and understand our surroundings. The pre-frontal cortex that is in charge of higher-order thinking lights up and kicks into gear when we are involved or curious.

    According to neuroscientists, curiosity and fear are considered opposing mental states. Curiosity is actively seeking information and engagement, while fear pulls us back from potential and perceived threats. Our brain shifts between the regions of the brain that are activated by curiosity or fear.

    “Here’s our powerful opportunity — by cultivating curiosity, we can calm our fears,” wrote Sara Hickman, Change Consultant at the website “Brave in the U.K.”

    Think of fears that you have. Are they spiders, snakes, death, or something else? One of the biggest fears that people have is public speaking. How many of you can relate to that fear? I learned that many would rather be in the coffin than give a eulogy at a funeral.  It is amazing to think that public speaking is more feared than death itself.  Does public speaking frighten you?  What does it feel like when you are fearful? A sense of dread may awash your body.

    Let’s imagine, you are attending a meeting. A co-worker makes an introduction and your name is announced. Now… it is your time to walk onto the stage. Perhaps the palms of your hands begin to sweat, your stomach starts to churn, and a lump in your throat forms, and your heart may begin racing. Fear can be felt in our bodies.  Don’t let your fear take over the wheel. You are still in control. Fear can be insidious, but you are not indefensible against it. The antidote…Curiosity.

    When your curiosity is piqued by an interesting fact or interesting tidbit, your brain enters the “curiosity state.” First, the parts of the brain which are sensitive to uncomfortable or unknown conditions and environments light up. Then the part of the brain responsible for learning and memory, known as the pre-frontal cortex, comes online. Our brains then release the reward chemical dopamine. Dopamine has been found to intrinsically linked to the brain’s curiosity state. When you are curious and learning new facts and exploring the unknown, the brain floods our bodies with dopamine. Dopamine makes us happier.

    Would you rather be excited and energized by curiosity or sick to your stomach with fear? In the simplest terms, curiosity acts in the opposite way of fear. I know what I would choose. Do you?

    It is not that simple. We have train our bodies to start choosing curiosity over fear. It will take time to do so. Curiosity is not just an antidote, it is a mindset.

    Resources:

    Britannica Curiosity Compass. “The Science of Curiosity.” Retrieved on 1/29/2025 from https://curiosity.britannica.com/science-of-curiosity.html

    Discover Your Curiosity Type. https://curiosity.britannica.com/curiosity-personality-quiz

    Hickman, Sara. Director & Principal Consultant. “The Antidote to Fear is Curiosity.” Retrieved on 1/29/2025 from https://wearebrave.co.uk/the-antidote-for-fear-is-curiosity#:~:text=Fear%20and%20curiosity%20are%20like,powerful%20tool%20for%20managing%20fear%E2%80%A6.

    Noice, Cathy. “Curiosity: The Antidote for Fear. November 23, 2014. Retrieved on 1/29/2025 from https://workplacenavigator.com/2014/11/23/curiosity-the-antidote-for-fear/

    clip art courtesy of dreamstime.